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Indeed, Esmeralda was very angry; but at last she became more cheerful in proportion as her clothes became more dry. We were still in sight of the Leir Vand. There are no fish in it, or apparently in the Lera Elv. Kirken (Church) Mountain is extremely steep and picturesque.

This view of Kirken (Church) Mountain,

steep, dark, and escarpé, and of the Tverbottenhornene, the dark rocky mountain to the left, standing almost isolated and apart, as seen from a point of view in the Gravdal, we sketched during our mid-day halt.

We were not far from the Lang Vand and Visdal. Ole said that four valleys commence near Church Mountain: Visdal, Leirdal (Clay Valley), Gjendindal, and Gravdal

We were not

of scattered rocks we

(Valley of the Grave). Four rivers have also their source here: Visa Elv, Lera Elv, Gjendin Elv, Gravdal Elv. We had to ford several smaller streams, and our route lay over a wild, sterile, stony tract, among picturesque, sharp, peaky mountains. We could see the peaks of Uledals Tinderne, one of which was soon afterwards ascended by Messrs. Browne. Coming at length to a small lake, we distinctly saw on a glacier below a mountain called by Ole the Hogvarden Tind (Peak of the High Pass), a herd of about forty-five wild reindeer. We were not very far from them. Under the shelter could have had a still closer view. Ole regretted he had not brought a rifle. They might have been stalked easily. The sun was also in our favour. Although for some time we were in view of the reindeer, they did not notice us, and when we went out of sight the herd were still on the glacier. It was a beautiful sight as we watched them on the sloping snow. Descending down the valley, we called a halt at a large rock near a small mountain stream. We had accomplished a distance of about eight or nine miles. It was about twelve o'clock. Not far from where we halted runs Simledal (Hart's Valley), and beyond us Ole pointed out the direction of the Raudal (Red Valley).

We were now in our element. How could we be unhappy in such picturesque scenes, pure nature, pure air, free existence? Even our gipsies were in keeping with the rough unhewn rocks and wild flowers of this unfrequented region. Just at this point of reflection Mephistopheles, who was boiling our can of water over a fire of heath roots and moss, called out in a melancholy screaming tone of voice, exactly imitating his sister at our camp

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the evening before, "Where's the tea? Zachariah!! where's the tea?" It was so true to tone and manner that, braving Esmeralda's displeasure, even Ole joined in the laugh. All was immediately fun and merriment in our camp. Even Esmeralda deigned to laugh. The reindeer meat, boiled the day before, was fried with potatoes. This with tea formed an excellent meal in fact, Ole said many in Lom never had such a dinner.

Our gipsies were full of fun. Zachariah put up an impromptu tent with two of our tent raniers and an Alpine stock, to shade Ole from the sun, and he at once fell asleep. Then Zachariah contrived one for himself, which was taken possession of by Noah, after a mimic battle. Esmeralda put the things away, and all took their siesta, while we made two sketches and entered up our diary. At twenty minutes to four our party were again en route down the valley.

The donkeys were quickly loaded. Over rough uneven ground we descended the valley until we were below the picturesque Storbeatind and its singular glacier.* Ole said it was so called, and that the Utladal Elv derived its source from the Gravdal Vand. The river from this singular glacier branched into many streams. Between two sterile steeps the glacier narrows in its course and falls abruptly into the valley.

Above the almost straight line of glacier wall we saw an isolated, lofty, peculiarly-shaped mass of ice, which put us in mind of one of the ice cliffs in the Glacier des Bossons at Mont Blanc, so well represented by Coleman in his "Scenes from the Snow Fields, or the Upper Ice

• This immense glacier is also called "Smörstabben."

World." The glacier seemed to overhang the narrow valley. The approaching night added to its picturesque effect.†

Ole crossed the river at some rocks below. Noah, Zachariah, and Esmeralda crossed with the donkeys. They all had to stand a thorough drenching of their legs and feet in the ice cold-water fresh from the glacier. Esmeralda stood it manfully. We went a short distance below, and, taking off our trousers, boots, and stockings, waded through. The cold was intense. As we came up with our party, they had just seen a reindeer; it was coming towards them, and was quite close before it perceived

"Scenes from the Snow Fields, or the Upper Ice World of Mont Blanc," by Edmund T. Coleman, was published, at the cost of three guineas each copy, by Messrs. Longman, in 1859. Mr. Coleman, who is still a member of the English Alpine Club, has since extended his travels to British Columbia and California. In 1868, in company with Messrs. Ogilvy, Stratton, and Tennent, he finally succeeded in making the first ascent of Mount Baker, and planting the American flag on its highest peak, which he named "Grant's Peak," in honour of the President of the United States. Mount Baker is 10,613 feet above the level of the sea, and is the most northerly of the great cones of the Cascade range, being only fourteen miles from the boundary line dividing America from English possessions. Like another "snowy Olympus," it towers above the rest, as the sentinel of a solitary land. The justly celebrated and successful American serial, Harper's New Monthly Magazine," of November, 1869, page 793, contains a most interesting article, entitled "Mountaineering on the Pacific," by Mr. Coleman, with numerous engravings from Mr. Coleman's drawings, descriptive of his successful ascent. Illustrations and a paragraph referring to the ascent also appeared 29th June, 1872, in a number of the Illustrated London News.

66

+ So singular was the appearance of the ice cliff, rising on the glacier and towering above us in the waning light of a Norwegian summer's eve, that after describing it to.an Alpine traveller of much experience, we wrote to our guide, and the following extract from Ole's letter, dated 12th April, 1872, may be interesting:-"I am apt to think that the Ice Cliff, which I perfectly well remember, consists of rock on the side we did not see. hardly believe it to be entirely of ice. It certainly seemed so to us from the view we had at it; but there must be rock on the other side, I should think."

I can

VALLEY OF RED SANDSTONE.

381

our party and turned again. Zachariah gave chase; but it slowly made its way among some loose rocks, and he lost sight of it.

The track was now extremely rugged, tortuous, and steep at times. We had several streams to cross, and

made our way with difficulty. In crossing one narrow brook Zachariah's donkey, which was very sure footed, slipped back, and part of its load, containing Ole's things in a pig's bristle bag, and the pocket containing Noah's blankets, and our kettle bag, got slightly wet before we could get it out.

There was no time to lose; on we went, and at length